Secret pardon list remains under lock and key
Get European news in your inbox daily
A short daily digest of the whole continent — or just the countries you care about.
Check your email. We've sent a confirmation link — click it to complete your subscription.
It has been four days since the public was told 49 people were being pardoned, but the names remain a mystery. The timing is awkward: the announcement comes as the country heads toward parliamentary elections on October 25, following the announcement of Aleksandar Vučić's resignation as part of a significant September political shake-up.
Conflicting accounts have emerged over the future of the national energy firm, NIS. While reports suggested that talks between Hungary’s MOL and Russia’s Gazprom had collapsed, MOL now claims it has secured US approval to continue negotiations. The Russian ambassador is less hurried, noting that the matter is complex and a swift resolution is unlikely. Diplomacy and commerce appear to be moving at different speeds.
The election campaign is proving physically hazardous for some. An observer for the Anti-Corruption Agency was beaten while photographing a Serbian Progressive Party stand in Belgrade, an incident that comes as the ruling majority in Kragujevac reportedly begins to fracture. Meanwhile, the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš has gone 70 days without paying salaries, and a fresh arrival of Russian citizens has left the local rental market with few vacancies and higher prices.